WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 (UPI) — Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pencereleased a decade of tax returns Friday, showing he made $113,206 last year.
Pence’s release is at odds with the top of the ticket. Donald Trump has refused to release any of his taxes citing an ongoing IRS audit.
In 2015, Pence and his wife paid $8,956 in federal taxes and donated $8,923 to charity. The couple’s effective tax rate was 7.9 percent.
The most the Pences earned in a single year over the last 10 years was $187,495 and their effective tax rates have fluctuated between a low of 6.4 percent and a high of 11.9 percent, Politico reported.
The Trump campaign used Pence’s tax release as an opportunity to juxtapose his lack of a multi-million dollar income with that of Bill and Hillary Clinton, who have racked up significant paydays in exchange for private speaking engagements. The couple’s tax returns showed they earned $10.6 million in 2015.
“These tax returns clearly show that Mike and Karen Pence have paid their taxes, supported worthy causes and, unlike the Clintons, the Pences have not profited from their years in public service,” said spokesman Marc Lotter, in a statement.
Trump has refused to release his taxes citing legal advice over his pending multi-year audit, prompting frequent criticism from his opponent Hillary Clinton, who has released her family’s tax returns for much of the last three decades while she and Bill Clinton have served in government.
While there is no legal requirement for presidential candidates to release taxes, the bipartisan tradition of transparency dates back decades.
“We’re pleased to see that one member of the Trump ticket has decided to meet the long-held threshold for disclosure in a modern day presidential campaign,” said Clinton campaign spokeswoman Christina Reynolds.
“But it’s Donald Trump — who just this week attacked America’s generals and showered praise on Russia’s authoritarian leader — running to be our next president.”
